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Courtney Barber has been named Miss California Galaxy.Contributed

SHE grew up in the Rose City, playing football on weekends and studying at Scots PGC College and after making the move to America a few years ago Courtney Barber has been dubbed Miss California Galaxy.

Something Courtney had dreamed of for a long time.

"I used to watch the Miss USA pageant on TV each year and always wanted to be a beauty queen," Courtney said.

"Over the past five years I was invited to the USA to compete at international bodybuilding/fitness competitions and was very fortunate to win a lot of them, including Miss Bikini California.

"I then decided that I wanted to move into the world of pageantry and won a Miss Australia pageant title a few years ago, where I was then able to compete at the world final in the US, representing Australia.

"I always wanted to be Miss California though and after moving to the US I was able to make that dream a reality.

Courtney's next step is the World Finals, which are being held in Florida at the end of the July.

But despite living among the glitz and glam of Hollywood Courtney has not forgotten her home town.

"I have many fond memories of growing up in Warwick, from the early mornings putting up the soccer nets at the Warwick Soccer Club to my time at Scots College," she said.

"I always enjoy coming back to visit whenever I am in Australia.

"Coming from LA, it's nice to walk down the street and see familiar faces."

Taking part in pageants is not all Courtney does though.

She is the celebrity fitness expert for Perez Hilton's celebrity fitness news site and recently started her own fitness magazine, Glam Today Magazine that helps women to live a healthier and happier lifestyle.

Courtney's mother Penny Frederiksen said she was incredibly proud of her daughter's achievements

"It is wonderful, she has worked very hard for this to happen," she said.

"It was always a dream of her to go to America.

"She started competing a few years ago and just got better every year."

Ms Frederiksen said fitness had always been a part of Courtney's life growing up and was not surprised that was what she wanted a career in.

"It started when she got a traineeship at Vitality Fitness in year 11 and 12 through Scots," she said.

"She then moved to the Gold Coast and set up her own business.

"It all started here in Warwick."

Ms Frederiksen, who works at Scots PGC College, said that every year during the June/July holiday she travelled to America to visit her daughter.

"I have actually just got back from my trip," she said.

"I spent a lot of time helping her with her dress and things for the last pageant."

Courtney is not the only one of Ms Frederiksen's children to do great things, with all three of her sons serving in the Australian Armed Forces.